The Scary Reason You Might Want to Quit Your Soda Addiction, Stat

We all know that soda isn’t as good for you as, oh, say water (or even, surprisingly, coffee, which has many health benefits!). Not only does the usually sugar-packed beverage add unnecessary, unwanted calories, but it isn’t exactly great for your teeth either (though this all-natural version might be slightly better).

A Swedish study from June of this year that’s currently making the media rounds is suggesting that the implications of drinking pop go far beyond physical concerns.

In fact, according to the researchers’ findings, it might even cause rare forms of cancer — eep!

Researchers asked 70,832 Swedish cancer and diabetes-free adults to fill out a food questionnaire. Then, over the course of 13.4 years, they conducted follow-up studies with the 148 that had developed biliary tract cancers (BTC), which are related to liver and gallbladder cancers.

When analyzing the food questionnaires of these participants, they determined that those that drank the most sugar and artificially sweetened beverages were at the highest risk of developing BTC, particularly with regard to the gallbladder.

In fact, those that indulged in two or more sodas per day more than doubled their chances for developing gallbladder tumors, while more than tripling their chances for liver cancer.

According to the study’s lead author, Susanna Lawson, it’s “the first [study of its kind] to show a strong link between consumption of sweetened beverages, such as soda, and risk of biliary tract cancers,” as she told wire news service Reuters.

While the overall percentage of participants that actually contracted the disease remained relatively low (less than 1%, overall), it’s still a big enough risk to make us reconsider our beverages of choice or, at the very least, consider these cancer-reducing exercises!

Better to be safe than sorry.

Does this news make you want to nix pop from your diet? Share @BritandCo.